


Keith’s Space Journal

by Ellana17



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Humor, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Post-Season/Series 06
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 22:56:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17755064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ellana17/pseuds/Ellana17
Summary: Lance took a deep breath and pressed the button. At once, Keith’s face appeared on screen. “I just- I miss the whole team, but the truth is I miss Lance most of all.” Pidge’s eyes widened in horror as Keith went on. “Because when you truly love someone you’d do anything to protect them, to make sure they are okay.”Or: Keith kept a video journal while he was away. He had not planned on Lance getting his hands on it though.





	Keith’s Space Journal

**Author's Note:**

> I had promised myself I would stop writing Voltron fanfictions after the train wreck that were the last two seasons but this story was already half finished anyway so here we go.  
> This takes place after season 6 and completely disregards season 7.

The paladins had agreed to make a pit stop on the next hospitable planet they would find. They all had been looking forward to stretching their legs and Lance had been waiting to get Kaltenecker out of Red for a while. The cow did not like flying. At all.

The team had set camp for the night. Pidge and Hunk were going on and on about space continuum, Allura was hanging out with the mice, and, as he looked around him, Lance found himself at a loss. His eyes were looking for something and it took him a few seconds to realize that he was looking for Keith.

Keith had just come back to them, looking taller, older and gruffer than ever. Lance could not believe no one on the team had noticed the changes before he himself commented on it. Keith’s explanations of the Quantum Abyss had also made Lance realize that – if Keith had not already been way out of his league before – he definitely was now.

Lance groaned in annoyance. First Allura, and now Keith. Why did he only have crushes on unattainable people?

“Get it together, Lance,” he mumbled.

“Did you say something?” Coran asked.

Lance shook his head. “Nothing. Hey, have you seen Keith?”

“Keith? Yes, I saw him heading this way,” Coran answered, pointing at the woods.

Lance sighed. “Of course he did. Thanks, Coran.”

Lance did not want to go into the woods by himself but his only other option was listening to Pidge and Hunk theories about wormholes and the Quantum Abyss, and Lance could not handle that kind of talk at the moment. He did not need to be reminded about what had happened to Keith.

Lance went into the woods and stopped once he reached a clearing. Here they were, Keith and Krolia, mother and son, practicing their sword fighting. Lance shook his head in disbelief. Did Keith ever stop training? Both of them were too focused to have noticed Lance. Keith barely stopped Krolia’s attack. The woman grunted and pushed Keith’s blade away with so much force that Keith lost his footing and nearly fell on the ground. Lance let out a gasp when Keith’s Bayard teleported from one hand to the other as he dodged another attack.

When Krolia’s eyes landed on Lance, Keith took advantage of the small distraction to attack once more. Krolia blocked him easily, using the momentum to send Keith’s Bayard flying away. Keith tripped and fell on the ground with a grunt.

“That was… incredible,” Lance exclaimed.

“Thank you, Lance,” Krolia said as she extended a hand toward her son to help him up. “I’m going to head back. You two should train some more. You need it,” she added, looking at Lance critically.

Lance blinked. The Galra patted Keith’s shoulder gently before walking away.

“Sorry,” Lance said at once.” “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

“It’s okay,” Keith said. “She was kicking my ass anyway.”

“She totally was!” Lance exclaimed, delighted.

Keith shook his head, a small smile on his lips. “Careful, I can still kick your ass,” Keith told him without heat.

“Dude,” Lance exclaimed, reaching for his own Bayard. “I completely forgot to tell you.”

Keith frowned. “Tell me what?”

Keith’s words died in his throat when he saw Lance’s Bayard take the form of a sword.

“Is that-”

“An Altean broadsword,” Lance answered excitingly. “At least, that’s what Allura said.”

“Allura knows about this?” Keith asked blankly.

“Sure, she was there when it happened.”

“Oh.”

“I’m still getting used to it, though. I don’t know how good it’s going to be in an actual fight.”

“You should train,” Keith advised.

“Yeah but we’ve lost the castle and the training deck,” Lance reminded him with a dejected look.

“I meant you should train with me,” Keith explained, grinning. “Or with Krolia,” he added, cooling his features.

Lance shook his head at once. “No way, your mom would kick my ass. At least with you I have a chance.”

“Oh yeah?” Keith challenged. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that.”

“Bring it,” Lance exclaimed, raising his sword.

Lance barely managed to dodge Keith’s first attack. The boy had to admit he might have gotten ahead of himself but Keith had always brought out Lance’s competitiveness.

Lance grunted and used all his strength to push Keith away. As they fought, Lance tried to focus on his stance, like Allura had said. His footwork was not great and Lance was surprised to be still standing. Keith was probably more tired that he had let on after his sparing session with Krolia. Or – Lance’s traitorous mind supplied – Keith was actually going easy on him. What the quiznak?

Lance took a deep breath and attacked. He attacked again with more force until Keith had no other choice but to give everything he had. Lance landed on his butt with a grunt.

“Okay, I think I’m done for today,” he said, resting his forehead on his knees.

“Your footwork needs some work,” Keith told him, extending his hand to help Lance up.

Instead of accepting the outstretched hand, Lance let his back hit the grass under him. He groaned in pain and closed his eyes.

“Dude, how are you even standing right now?” he wined.

He heard Keith chuckle. “You think the Blade of Marmora lets us take naps?” he asked.

“Right.”

“Hey, are you okay?” Keith finally asked.

“I’m good. I’m just going to take a nap. A week-long nap.”

“Well, don’t be late for diner, I’m not saving you any,” Keith told him before walking away.

Lance had no idea how long he spent lying down in the middle of the woods. The boy only stood up when he felt like his legs would not give out. Spending days piloting without breaks or combat training was starting to have an impact on him. As Lance started heading back to the camp, a flash of light in the grass caught his attention. It looked like that silver communicator thingy he had seen in Keith’s hands after he came back. Lance had been curious about the device but had not had the courage to ask Keith about it.

Lance bent down and took the device in his hands. He pressed a button, knowing full well that the device was probably protected by a password or even a digital ID system. Lance jumped in surprise when a screen appeared, displaying Keith’s face.

“I guess I don’t really need this now that we’re back with the team…”

Lance blinked. He then noticed several pieces of information displayed on the screen: time and date of the recording for example. He touched the screen and a list of recordings appeared. He selected the first one.

“So I guess I’m doing this after all,” Keith said.

The first thing Lance noticed was how much younger Keith looked in this. He must have had recorded this after he had left with Krolia. Which meant that Lance was holding two years worth of videos in his hands.

Lance looked at the screen in disbelief.

“I still think this is pretty dumb but we’ve been here for weeks and Krolia thought it might help to talk. My dad gave this to her when she first landed on Earth because she didn’t want to talk to anyone about what she had been through. I guess we’re more alike than I thought. I always thought I was more like my dad because I didn’t know any better. Because I had only ever met one of my parents. Meeting Krolia has been like unveiling this whole other part of myself, like realizing that all the little things I knew I didn’t get from my dad I actually got from her. Having a hard time expressing our feelings runs in the family apparently. I guess it was a good thing Krolia crashed into my father’s backyard… literally. Even then, I have no idea how they even managed to get together. Krolia is not the most talkative of people and things have been… sort of awkward between us. I have no idea what to tell her. I’m not talkative myself. I’m not like Lance. Or Hunk. I don’t… bond easily with people. I know that and I- huh.”

Keith ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

“I can’t even talk to a stupid camera when I know full well that nobody is going to see the recording anyway.”

Keith suddenly pressed the button to stop the recording, the angry look on his face the last thing Lance saw before the device started the next video.

“I never really had any friends,” Keith said, picking up where he had left off. Judging by the time display, this was a direct continuation of the previous video. “Shiro’s always been more of a brother to me and I’ve never had close friends before joining the team.” He smiled. “I mean, Lance and I started on the wrong foot but it’s not my fault he made up that whole rivalry thing!” he exclaimed suddenly. “I didn’t even realize he resented me for it! The guy hated my guts before even meeting me. There’s nothing I could have done, right?” He sighed. “I miss the team. Time works differently here so I don’t exactly know how much time has passed since I left. I guess I’m scared I’ll never see them again. We might spend years here. We might never find what we’re looking for. We might die of all age while the universe moves on without us. We might get left behind.”

Lance pressed stop, fighting back tears. He should never have started watching this. He had no right to invade Keith’s privacy like that.

Lance started the next recording and smiled despite himself when he saw Keith’s wolf suddenly appearing on Keith’s lap, waiving his tail around, hitting Keith in the face. The wolf was still just a puppy and Lance guessed Keith had just found it.

“Get off,” Keith groaned but made no move to push the wolf away. The animal yawned and curled up on Keith’s lap before falling asleep. Lance almost squealed. Keith smiled, petting the wolf absent-mindedly. “We’re still being hit by flashbacks,” Keith said, turning serious again. “I don’t really know how I feel about that. I’ve been waiting years to get those answers and now that I have them, it’s just… too much, I guess. It’s overwhelming. I don’t know how to process all of this. I guess it doesn’t feel… real yet. Getting to spend time with Krolia is surreal. I mean, it’s been awkward at first but we’re making progress… I think.” Keith ran a hand through his hair. “Krolia has mentioned Lance today and I- I guess that made me realize how often I talk about him. And about the team!” Keith added at once. He groaned in annoyance. “For quiznak’s sake. I should at least admit it to myself, right? It’s not like anyone will be watching this. I hope nobody’s watching this. I miss the guy! Here! I said it! Happy now?” Keith sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. “I just- I miss the whole team, but the truth is I miss Lance most of all. Being lost in space has made me think about things I didn’t want to think about, things that I’ve been avoiding for a while actually. Like when I left the team to join the Blade of Marmora. With them I learned that the mission always comes first. You can’t afford to get distracted when you’re out there. I knew leaving the team was the only solution at the time. We were one paladin too many. Lance came to me to talk about it… He wanted to leave the team! What was I supposed to do? I just couldn’t- I couldn’t let him do that!” Keith exclaimed, leaning forward. “I get it now,” he added more calmly. “I understand why Krolia left Earth all those years ago. Because when you truly love someone you’d do anything to protect them, to make sure they are okay. I get that now. I did the same thing she did and frankly I would do it again in a heartbeat. I just want him to be safe.”

Lance slammed the button and the video disappeared. It was a mistake. He had made a horrendous mistake. He should never have… Keith would never forgive him. Holy quiznak. What was he going to do?

After dinner, Lance managed to corner Pidge. He needed some advice regarding the whole Keith issue or he would not come out the other side alive.

“Fine, what’s going on?” Pidge asked, looking away from her laptop at last.

“I’m in big trouble,” Lance said.

“Why? What did you do?” she asked matter-of-factly.

“I swear I didn’t mean to! But I did and there’s no going back now and I don’t know what to do! I don’t even know what he meant by that! What if I’m reading this all wrong? He can’t possibly like me, right?”

“Lance! Back up! Just tell me what’s going on.”

Lance took a deep breath and pressed the button. At once, Keith’s face appeared on screen. “I just- I miss the whole team, but the truth is I miss Lance most of all.” Pidge’s eyes widened in horror as Keith went on. “Because when you truly love someone you’d do anything to protect them, to make sure they are okay.”

“Holy quiznak!” Pidge exclaimed. Lance put his hand over her mouth to shut her up. “Holy quiznak!” she said again, her voice muffled. Pidge wriggled out of Lance’s grip and gaped at him. “How did you get this? How? Why? How? Why are you showing me this, Lance?” she asked reproachfully.

“Because I need your opinion!” Lance whispered harshly. “Look, at first I thought this was pretty clear but now that I think about it, it really isn’t. And the more I think about it, the more I start to believe I’m getting the wrong idea.”

“Lance! You dumb quiznak!” Pidge groaned. “The guy basically confessed his undying love and devotion for you and you still have doubts? What do you need at this point?”

“He doesn’t like me,” Lance said, dejected.

“Lance!” Pidge exclaimed. “I’ve been enduring your pitiful pining for months! And I was cool with it because I thought ‘Hey, maybe it’s not that simple to admit when you have a crush on someone. Maybe he’s scared of being rejected’, but now!” she practically yelled. She grabbed Lance’s hand as he held the device and shook it. Lance yelped. “You have literal proof that Keith likes you back! Just march out there and kiss him. You don’t even have to say anything!”

“What about this?” Lance asked, lifting the device. Pidge froze. “I can’t tell him I watched the videos. He’d kill me.”

Pidge sighed. “The best you can do is be honest with him,” she said, patting his arm reassuringly.

“That’s easy for you to say,” Lance mumbled.

Pidge smiled indulgently. “Go.”

Despite Pidge’s encouragements, Lance waited until morning to face Keith. The other boy seemed reluctant to leave the planet behind and Lance had the suspicion that it had to do with the loss of the recording device. Keith probably wanted to get it back before leaving.

“Are you looking for this?” Lance asked him as Keith ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.

Keith turned around sharply and glanced at Lance. He froze when he caught sight of the device in Lance’s hand. “Yeah, I- I was looking for this. Thank you, Lance.” Keith grabbed the device hurriedly and put it in his pocket. “Did you…”

“Yeah,” Lance admitted. In truth, he still felt horrible about invading Keith’s privacy. He saw all colors leave Keith’s face and winced internally. “Look, Keith…” Lance started.

“I know what you’re going to say,” Keith told him at the same time.

“I’m pretty sure you don’t.”

“Lance…”

“I’m sorry,” Lance cut in.

Keith stared at him blankly. “What are you apologizing for?” he asked, dumfounded.

“This was a clear invasion of your privacy and I shouldn’t have watched those videos. So I’m sorry.”

Keith cleared his throat awkwardly. “Just… how many of those have you actually watched?” he asked, looking around.

“Are you planning an escape route?” Lance asked, smiling in spite of his nervousness.

“Depends on your answer,” Keith answered truthfully.

“I thought I was reading this all wrong,” Lance admitted.

“Lance, you’re basically all I talk about in this,” Keith stated.

Lance frowned. “Wait, what?”

“You didn’t see it?” Keith asked in disbelief.

“No…”

“Oh, quiznak,” Keith mumbled. He hid his face in his hands. “I’ll stop talking now.”

“No, no, no,” Lance said at once. He pulled Keith’s hands away from his face gently. “On the contrary, I feel like we should be talking about this.” Keith shook his head weakly and Lance smiled. He was starting to get his confidence back. “You like me, right?” he asked boldly. The other boy nodded sheepishly. “Well, I like you too.”

“Wait- You do?”

“How could I not?” Lance exclaimed.

Keith blushed. “So, huh, what now?” Keith asked quietly.

Lance rubbed the back of his head absently. “We don’t really see each other these days, do we? You’re piloting the Black Lion with your mom while I get to hang out with Kaltenecker.”

“Come on, you love that cow,” Keith pointed out.

“Doesn’t mean I want to be stuck in space with her!” Lance countered. “I don’t even know if I’ll be able to get rid of the smell.” He stopped abruptly and cleared his throat. “Anyway, next time we land on a nice planet where nobody tries to kill us…”

“Like that’s going to happen…”

“Shhh, don’t be so pessimistic,” Lance told him. “We’ll go on a date, okay? I’ll take you stargazing or something. That’s romantic, right?”

“Lance, we literally live in space,” Keith reminded him.

Lance raised his arms in defeat. “Keith, buddy, I need you to work with me here,” he exclaimed.

Keith chuckled. “Alright, stargazing without the Galra kicking our butts does sound nice,” he agreed.

“Thank you,” Lance exclaimed, slightly irritated. He glanced at Keith awkwardly. “Okay, so I’m going to go now. Red’s not going to pilot himself.”

“Actually…”

Lance glared and Keith smirked at him. The nerves on him. Before he could change his mind about it, Lance brushed his lips against Keith’s cheek before hurrying away.

 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> The device has a locking system but Keith always forgets about it.


End file.
